FY 2017 Federal Budget Compared to Trump's Spending

Compare Trump's 2017 Spending to Budgets

The fiscal year 2017 federal budget outlined U.S. government revenue and spending from October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017. The budget process began while President Obama was in office. The budget was amended by President Trump in his inaugural year. Congress enacted the appropriation bills to guide spending. The Office of Management and Budget reported what was actually spent.

Revenue was $3.316 trillion.

That's less than the $3.982 trillion in spending. It created a $666 billion budget deficit.

Spending

Congress appropriate funds each year for agencies covered by the discretionary budget. For FY 2017, Congress appropriated $1.1 trillion, the limit set by sequestration. The Trump administration spent $1.08 trillion. It shifted spending from Education, Energy, and Housing to Defense, Health and Human Services, and the State Department.

Congress appropriated $133.2 billion in Emergency Funding, which is not subject to sequestration. Most of that went to Overseas Contingency Operations, which paid for military operations in the Middle East. It included in emergency funds for Hurricane Harvey, and for Hurricane Irma. Congress added those funds in October 2017.

The chart below compares Obama's budget to Trump's amendment. It then shows what Congress enacted on May 1, 2017 compared to actual department spending.

President Trump submitted a budget amendment on March 16, 2017. It asked Congress to change discretionary spending from the amount it enacted in its Continuing Resolution.

On April 30, 2017, Congressional leaders agreed on a budget. The Senate and House approved the spending bill on May 1, 2017. It appropriated $1.1 trillion in discretionary spending. Congress added $101.8 billion in emergency funding. The Republican-led Congress spent more than the Democrat Obama.

Mandatory: The government spent $2.519 trillion on mandated benefits. This portion of the budget is an estimate, not an appropriation. Congress can't change it as part of the normal budget process. Congress mandated the benefit payments when it passed the laws that created the programs. The most recent estimates are from the FY 2019 budget.

All other – $614 billion. This includes food stamps and Supplemental Security Income. All programs are paid out of the general fund except for Unemployment Compensation, which is partially funded by payroll taxes. The Affordable Care Act and TARP are self-funded.

Deficit

The FY 2017 deficit was , $100 billion higher than budgeted. Revenue came in $100 billion less than than expected. Spending was $3.9 trillion, slightly less than budgeted but not enough to help the deficit. It was the fifth-highest U.S. deficit by year. It made Trump the third-highest deficit by president, following Obama and Bush.

FY 2017 (in billions)

Budget

Actual

Subtotal

Total

Subtotal

Total

Revenue

$3,460

$3,316

Mandatory

$2,573

$2,519

Interest on the Debt

$276

$263

Discretionary

$1,172

$1,219

Total Spending

$4,021

$3,982

Deficit

$561

$666

(Sources: "," May 1, 2017, except for Justice and VA, which are based on Congress' budget enacted in FY 2016. "" The Washington Post, May 1, 2017.) To compare U.S. budget deficits through history, see and .